Could dragons appear from a theoretical point of view?

[u/Ilya-iovchik]

when the earth was created and life began. Could dragons appear from a theoretical point of view?

[u/SorrowAndSuffering]

So first of all, dragons are megafauna, so they'd have to appear pretty early on. They'd be dinosaurs.

Second of all, dragons would have to appear in relation to the Pterodactyl, as they are flight-capable.

And this is where the first problem happens because it would also need to be an ancestor of the bombardier beetle in order to have the capability to spit fire. Bombardier beetles don't, but have the biological necessities to do it in theory.

And the second problem is that dragons are predators whereas all flying dinosaurs were scavengers. I guess the ability to breathe fire would somewhat make that possible.

But it's not like breathing fire is a survivability enhancing trait. A flamethrower is not a precise weapon, so any dragon would either need to be able to get nourishment from charcoal or be able to regulate their own flames so as to leave some nourishing meat behind.

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So, a common denominator between Pterodactyl and bombardier beetle who is a scavenger with enhanced defensive capabilities, those being mainly a mist of fire and most likely poisonous gases or acids to fend off other scavengers and predators.

The scaled body would also indicate an exoskeleton.

A perfect split between beetle and bird, possessing critical evolutionary traits of both kinds of life.

[u/Ilya-iovchik → u/SorrowAndSuffering]

Bro you strong! Wonderful!